Case Studies
Multimode
on-line learning
Project Aim
The multi mode learning project was comissioned from the Learning Discovery Centre by the Northampton Post 16 Consortium to explore and develop ways to use a variety of approaches to meet the needs of different types of learner on-line and face-to-face.
Multimode was designed to be a complete set of resources for A Level Music Technology. The material was designed both to deliver the course remotely, using ICT resources and on-line access with occasional face-to-face seminars or tutorials, or to serve as a body of high quality web-based resource that could be accessed easily and used selectively by educators.
The specification for Multimode expected:
- support for traditional courses, existing and new, through the provision of quality material
- to enable coverage of the content through independent study alongside traditional support - seminars, one to one tuition - and allow teachers/schools/colleges to offer the course with reduced delivery hours
- to deliver content more effectively in a range of learning styles, using ICT facilities and Remote Learning techniques
Content and Course Development
A website was developed to host the Multimode content with emailing facilities for students and tutors, a closed student forum, tracking for tutors, assessment facilities.
The Edexel syllabus was analysed, broken down into modules, and concepts were examined and explored. It was decided that different approaches and support materials were required depending on the knowledge and experience of the student starting the course.
Research identified that a large number of potential students came from popular music backgrounds with little formal training and limited knowledge of music notation, musical theory or history. To enable these students to undertake the course with success, to aid understanding and develop notation reading skills, interactive materials (visual, audio, textual and kinaesthetic) were designed from the viewpoint of the untrained eye of a non musician. Guitar tablature and graphic scores were used to promote greater understanding and enable students to access information and express their musical ideas. Music notation software was also employed to ease difficulties in these areas.
Examples of graded exam coursework were collected to show a range from Grade A to grade E, accompanied by a text commentary and examiners report. A range of materials was collected: composition, studio engineering, arrangements.
Support materials were developed to improve examination technique, explaining how questions were phrased and how to present answers. Examiners reports were studied to identify common faults in candidates work.
Set works were analysed and materials developed interactively (audio, visual, music scores, textually, commentated).
Wherever possible all on-line audio examples were accompanied by annotated music scores. To comply with copyright law all extracts were recorded by the contributors or permission sought and obtained. Additional music examples and reference books were also provided by CD’s that were purchased and by arrangement with the library service, centrally placed in the Northampton County Library, where they could be accessed easily from morning to late evening Monday to Saturday.
Video footage of lessons delivered during the course, over the 2 years, was also recorded, edited and made available on-line; to allow students to either revisit a lesson to aid better understanding or to allow students who were absent to observe the lesson.
A set of laptops loaded with a range of music software and mini digital music keyboards were purchased to facilitate group seminars, training and video conferencing.
Outcome
It took over over 2 years to develop the content and website.
The materials were successfully tested at Northampton College, Latimer Arts College and Bishop Stopford Secondary School, and music educators welcomed the approach.
Several factors limited use of the full on-line course:
- limited ICT facilities at school and lack of specific software to access all content
- students lacked facilities at home to study 24/7 at their peak learning times
- teachers and educators perception that although on-line learning was effective, comprehensive and enabling it would reduce the need for the classroom teacher and put their posts at risk
Conclusion
The project created a significant body of high quality resources, and showed that it is possible to develop an always available on-line learning environment. It also highlighted important factors in the development and use of on-line, remote learning resources:
- Facilities and teacher skills were not at an appropriate level to deliver the on-line course, and a higher level of investment in ICT and teacher training was required within the county to progress teaching and learning.
- on-line learning available 24/7 is achievable but educators are reluctant to change their lesson delivery.
On-line learning is an achievable objective, but teachers, schools and educational establishments are not ready to embrace this method of learning and delivery at this point in time.
Cheryl Eyre September 2005
Learning Discovery Centre